by Josie Kerr
“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to take a class, Bailey. I got an in with the owner. I could probably get a discounted rate for you.”
Bailey grinned at him. “I’ll think about it, but not tonight. I gotta figure out how to liquefy a steak.”
“Really?” Colin made a face.
Bailey shook her head. “You goose. I am gonna pore through some of Em’s cookbooks to try to find you some thin soups or broths so you don’t lose any more weight. You’re skin and bones, honey.”
“I was getting too big, Bailey. I don’t need to be that big anymore.”
“Maybe not, but I miss your…beefiness on top of me,” she mumbled, blushing prettily.
“Well, then. That’s a completely different situation, babydoll.” He bent down for a kiss and Bailey stretched up on her toes. After he left her breathless with kisses, Colin bent down and kissed Maude’s cheek, saying “Little babydoll, I’ll see you later, too.”
He gave Bailey another hard, hot kiss, and high-tailed it out the door before she could swat him.
Chapter Forty-one
September
“Sunday’s our short day. There’s only about fifteen minutes until we close. Sorry about that,” Junior said without looking up from tidying the reception area when he heard the heavy steel doors of the gym open.
“Hey, Junior. I didn’t come to train today,” Dig said.
Junior stuck out his hand. “Hey man, long time no see. How’s it going?”
Dig shook Junior’s hand. “It’ll be going a hell of a lot better if I can have a sit down with you and Carmichael.” Junior cocked his head at the fighter but didn’t say anything. “Can I get five minutes with the two of you? Just five minutes is all I’m asking.”
Junior scrubbed a hand over his face and exhaled loudly. “Okay. Five minutes is all, though.” Dig looked visibly relieved and Junior led him back to a conference room. “I’ll go get C. Be right back.”
Junior poked his head into Colin’s office. “Man, Dig just walked into the Fight Club. Says he wants five minutes with us.”
Colin frowned. “What’s this about?”
Junior shrugged. “Hell if I know.”
Colin inhaled through his nose – thank fuck I can do that again without being in pain – and then nodded. “Okay, let’s see what he wants.”
Dig sat at the table in the small conference room, his back against the wall and facing the door. His knee bounced with nervous energy.
Fuck.
When Junior and Colin entered the room, he stood up in greeting. Junior walked in front of Colin, almost like he was guarding him. When the big trainer moved out of the way, Dig was relieved to see that Colin was recognizably Colin now and not a bloated, bloodied hunk of flesh like he had been after the fight. He was also relieved to see that Colin was walking normally and that he only had a small cast on his forearm.
“Hey, Colin, Junior,” Dig said with a nod at each man. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
Dig blew out a loud breath. “So, I need to talk to you about the expo fight,” he said, his eyes cast down.
When the other two men at the table didn’t respond, he looked up to see them both looking at him, Colin’s face expressionless, and Junior looking…well, pissed. God.
“So?” This came from Junior. “You gonna talk or are you gonna sit here and look at us? I said we’d give you five minutes, and by my estimation, you have about three and half left.”
“Junior. Chill.”
Dig smiled a little at Colin, who didn’t smile back.
“How ya doing, Colin?”
Colin shrugged one shoulder. “Physically, I’ve been better,” he said.
Dig nodded and blew out another breath.
“Okay, I’ll just cut to the chase. I’m not happy at Raptor Pryde. I don’t like the way Raptor trains, and I don’t like some of the things I’m hearing around the gym. Pryde is great. If I could, I would train only with Pryde, but that’s not the way it works. So, I’m looking to make a change.”
“A change.”
Dig nodded. “A big change.”
Junior raised his eyebrows. “It takes some brass ones to come into our gym less than three months after you pulled out of a fight and tell us you want to defect.”
“Hey, Junior, chill. It wasn’t his fault that he got injured, and you know that. Hell, my injury was caused by that exact same fighter.” Colin held up his casted forearm. Junior grumbled.
Colin cocked his head at Dig. “What do you think, Junior?”
“I think we need a little preview. Just a taste. Right now.”
Colin whipped his head around. “Right now?”
“Right. Now.”
Colin turned to Dig. “You cleared for it?”
“Dude, you’re insane. I’m not getting anywhere near a cage with you.”
Colin laughed. “No, man. You’re gonna spar with Junior.”
A slow smile spread across Dig’s face. “Oh, damn straight, I’m up for it.”
“Then let’s do it.”
A half an hour later, Colin was shaking his head as he watched Ryan Richards patch up a cut on Junior’s cheekbone. He had already patched up Dig, who was watching Ryan with interest.
“Dude, what are you looking at? It’s not like you haven’t ever seen someone get stitched before,” Ryan groused as he drew the needle through a split on Junior’s eyebrow.
“You’re very neat. How’d you learn to stitch like that?”
“Navy corpsman, baby.”
“Don’t bullshit. Where’d you learn?”
“Navy. Fucking. Corpsman.” Ryan turned back to Junior, who was mumbling under his breath in Spanish.
“I gotta pair of slacks I need altered. Can you do that too?” Colin burst out laughing, disrupting Ryan’s careful stitching.
“Watch it, C, or you’re gonna make me mar El Galán’s handsome face.”
When Ryan was done, he surveyed his work and nodded. Junior looked in the mirror and scowled.
“I guess it’s good enough stitching for a sailor.”
“Oh, dude, you did not just go there,” Colin said with a laugh. Junior grinned and Ryan just shook his head.
“Oh, you just wait until you need to be stitched up again, Maldonado. You might find something stitched that you don’t want closed.” He winked at Junior, gathered up his supplies and left the small room.
Junior was watching him walk away when he heard Colin clear his throat.
“I was complimenting Dig on his form, Junior. You got any feedback for him?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. You’ve got some bad habits but it’s nothing that can’t be corrected, especially now that you’re not going to be training with Pierce. Now that dude’s sloppy.”
Dig sighed. “That’s another thing that I wanted to talk to you about.” Here goes nothing. “Pierce was supposed to throw the fight.”
Junior frowned. “Say again?” he said at the same time that Colin said, “I know.”
Both Junior and Dig’s eyes snapped to the big fighter. “What?” they both said simultaneously.
Colin rolled his eyes. “Fuckin’ Tripp Holbrook let it slip. I didn’t ask for any more details.” He shook his head, remembering the look on Tripp’s face. “I just don’t understand why he was supposed to throw the fight. It wasn’t even a sanctioned bout. It makes no sense.”
Dig shifted in his seat but he told them his theories and when he finished, Colin and Junior just looked at him. Then he made their mouths drop open when he admitted that he was supposed to throw the fight as well.
“So, I’m a shitty person, but I decided that I couldn’t do it anymore, I couldn’t throw any more fights. Colin, you’re the most trustworthy, honest fighter that I’ve ever met in my life, and it would mean more than anything to me that you would allow me to train with you. I couldn’t do that in good conscience if I threw that fight.”
“
Thank you,” was all Colin said, and Junior nodded.
“What do you think I should do?” Dig asked. “I can’t just leave this be. There’s something bigger going on here, and other fighters, ones that are younger, weaker, more desperate are not going to be able to refuse.”
“I agree,” Junior said. “And this is what we’re going to do.”
“‘We’?”
“You’re part of the DS Fight Club family now, Dig. We take care of our own.”
After Junior relayed his plan, Dig exhaled loudly. “I can’t tell you what this means to me, guys.”
“One more thing before you go,” Colin said. Dig winced as Colin spoke. “Thinking back about a conversation that I had with Pryde – do you think he’s as dissatisfied as you are?”
Dig grinned. “Hell, he just might be. I’ll feel him out.”
“I just hope we can keep things under wraps.”
Dig dismissed Colin’s worries with a wink. “Tell me, who would think that I’m going to defect from an upscale suburban training facility to a dinky fight club at the edge of the ghetto? No offense to your club or its location.”
“I consider that description a glowing recommendation, Dig. I might put that on the next round of advertising,” Colin said, laughing.
Junior made eye contact with Colin and while Colin’s expression remained neutral, Junior couldn’t contain his grin.
“Dig.” Colin stood up and extended his hand. “Welcome to DS Fight Club.”
Chapter Forty-two
Halloween
“I want you to come with me tonight, Colin.”
Colin halted where he was, which crawling on the floor with Maude on his back. “What?”
“I want you to come to Ed and Madeleine’s tonight with me.”
“Oh, Bailey, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“They want to see you, Colin. I talked with Ed when he came by the Tara offices last week for lunch with Rory.”
“I always forget those two are friendly.”
“They are, and Ed’s throwing a bunch of business our way.”
“Huh. That’s great. So tonight, huh?”
“Well, pretty early so we can go over to Ashley and Rory’s before it gets too late. Apparently there are a ton of kids in their neighborhood and they all have a big block party.”
“Huh. Sounds fun.” Maude bounced on his back and demanded that he start moving again, so he resumed crawling around the floor. “Okay, little girl, C-C is about worn out. Time to hop off.” Colin lowered himself to the ground, and when Maude figured out that horsey time was finished for the day, she arched her back and began to wail.
“Oh, man, I think someone needs a nap,” Bailey said with a laugh. She lifted Maude off of Colin’s back and took her protesting daughter to her room.
Colin continued to lie on the floor, thinking.
“What are you doing still in the floor, Colin?”
He sighed and rolled over. “Do you wanna move?”
“Move?”
“Yeah, somewhere where there’s more kids for Maude to play with.”
“Well, I suppose that would be nice. I hadn’t really thought about it. She plays with Emily when Sheila keeps the girls, and I know that Sheila also takes them to Gymboree during the week.”
“What the hell is Gymboree?”
“It’s like baby playtime. They dance and sing and run around and stuff.”
Colin looked skeptical. “We do that here.”
“But there’s other kids.”
“Okay, leading me back to the original question: do you wanna move?”
“What are you asking me, Colin?”
“I’m asking, do you wanna move?” He licked his lips nervously. “With me. Do you wanna move where there are more kids for Maude, and do you wanna do it with me? You and Maude, and me. Moving.” Oh, Jesus Christ, Colin. Get a hold of yourself, man.
Colin took a deep breath when Bailey came and sat down next to him.
“Colin, are you asking Maude and me and you to be a family?”
With his chin resting on his hands, Colin answered, “Yeah, I am.”
Bailey laid her hand on the back of his head and then bent down and kissed him. “Colin, we’re already a family. I hope you know that.”
“Yeah, I do. So, do you wanna move?”
Bailey shrugged her shoulder. “We could look around, I guess. I mean, we’re not in a hurry, right? We can find us the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood.”
“Yeah, that could work.” Colin grinned up at her. “Yeah, okay.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“So you better rest up. We need to leave at 4:30 or so. I think you probably need to start getting ready about 3:30.”
“For what? We’re not supposed to be at Rory and Ashley’s until six or so.”
“You’re going over to the Holbrooks’. If we’re gonna do this, Colin, we’re gonna do this. And this is a family costume, so that means you are gonna wear it while we visit with Ed and Madeleine.”
Colin groaned.
With Maude balanced on one hip, Bailey adjusted her hat and grabbed the candy bowl when she heard the knocking. It’s awful early for trick-or-treating, but maybe they’re little-littles, like Maude.
She threw open the door, her eyes cast toward the ground, and all she saw was a pair of khaki slacks and cheap brown shoes.
Bailey looked up at the guy, who seemed to be about her age, with a frown on her face. “Who are you supposed to be? A Target cashier?” she asked, eyeing the man’s red shirt.
“What? Oh! No! Is there a Bailey Ann Jenkins in residence?”
“Yes. I’m Bailey Jenkins.” The moment the words came out of her mouth, Bailey cringed. Fartknocker! I bet I’m being served with some ridiculous legal document that Tripp’s cooked up.
Bailey hadn’t heard from Tripp since the week after he had confessed to not owing the amount of money to the bookie. She had only dealt with his attorney, and even him she hadn’t heard from in a few weeks.
It made her nervous. It made her especially nervous to see this guy on her front porch right now.
“I’ve got some legal papers for you, Ms. Jenkins.” Double-fartknocker.
“Couldn’t you do this some other time?” Bailey asked.
“Don’t you think I’d like to do that? Hallowe’en traffic is downright scary.”
Bailey swallowed a giggle, and then laughed out-right with nerves. “Scary traffic on Hallowe’en. That’s good.”
They guy looked at her like she had lost her mind, then realized what he said and grinned. “Okay, that’s funny. Thank you for your time, Ms. Jenkins. Have a good day.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Oh! Um…”
“Just put it in the candy bowl,” she said with a sigh.
The man obliged, and with a little wave, turned around and got in his car.
Poor thing must be the new guy.
Bailey set down the bowl on the coffee table and herself on the couch and opened the envelope. “Let’s see what ol’ Tripp has to say this time,” she muttered under her breath.
She scanned the document quickly, and then read it more slowly. She put the document on the table, rubbed her eyes, and then picked the document up to read again.
Colin came out of the bedroom, muttering under his breath, “I can’t believe I’m wearing a damn pair of tights.”
“Colin, tell me what you think of this,” Bailey said, handing him the papers.
He read the document, his eyes growing wider and wider as he progressed down the page. Much like Bailey, he took his eyes away from the paper, rubbed them, and then read the document again. “He’s giving you sole custody?”
“No, Colin. He’s relinquishing custody.”
Colin didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.
Colin watched as a range
of emotions played across Bailey’s pretty face. She was glad that Tripp wasn’t going to make her life difficult any more, but to completely give up his daughter? His child?
“I need to go see him, I think.”
“Yeah, you do. Call him, Bailey. This other stuff can wait.”
Bailey picked up her phone in a daze and dialed Tripp’s number while Colin watched her closely. She clicked the phone off, then dialed again, and then hung up again. “His phone is disconnected.”
“Call his parents.”
“Yeah. I’m gonna do that.” When Bailey greeted Tripp’s father over the phone, Colin stepped into the other room to give her privacy.
He sat heavily on the bed and began pulling the costume off. What the actual fuck? Giving up custody of his little girl? Walking away from his child? Colin couldn’t imagine doing such a thing.
Bailey walked into the bedroom, still somewhat in a daze. “I’m taking Maude to Ed and Madeleine’s, Colin…”
“I do not need to be there for this, babydoll. I’ll go over to Rory and Ashley’s. If you want to meet us, great. If you don’t feel like it, I’ll come home. Okay, sweetheart?”
“Thank you for understanding.” Bailey inhaled a shaky breath, and Colin got up and enfolded her in his arms and held her tightly. “Thank you, Colin.”
Colin bent to kiss her and tugged that piece of hair that never stayed put. “Bailey, you got this, okay? I know you do. You’re strong, and you’re kind, and you’re resilient. You’ve got this, babydoll.”
“Yeah, I’ve got this. And you need to take your costume over to Rory and Ashley’s. The other boys will be furious if you’re not wearing it.”
Colin threw back his head and groaned.
Chapter Forty-three
Bailey and Colin agreed that he could tell the others generally what was going on, but he would wait for Bailey to tell them all the details. So Colin headed over to Rory and Ashley’s Buckhead home. He wasn’t wearing his entire costume, but he wore the dreaded tights.
He walked in the door and the first thing his brother said to him was, “Are those tights?”
Colin looked at Mick and laughed. “You have no room to talk, big brother. What in the hell do you have on?”
